Grain-door for cars.



0,. J. OLSON.

GRAIN DOOR FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1 910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

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0. J. OLSON. GRAIN noon FOR was.

7 APPLICATION FILED MARJB, 1910. v I I 976,284, Patented Nov. 22', 1910,

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0111-113 J. OLSON, OF CLONTABF, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

Application filed March 18, 1910. Serial No. 550,197.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLAF J. OLsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clontarf, in the county of Swift and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Doors for Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved door especially adapted for use as a grain door on railway cars, and to the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in outside elevation looking at the intermediate portion of the car body, and showing the improved grain door applied in working position in one of the side openings thereof; Fig. 2 is a view principally in vertical section taken on the line m 00 of Fig. 1, with the improved door being shown in a different position; and Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but looking atthe same from the inside of the car body.

The car body 1 is provided with the customary side door openings formed between vertical door posts 2.

Secured to the inside of the car body 1 and extending over each door opening is a track 3, having, as shown, three V-shaped depressions 4:, two of which are located directly above the door posts 2, and the other thereof is located to the left of the door opening with respect to Fig. 3. The purpose of the depressions 4 will presently appear. ldounted to run upon each track 3 is a pair of laterally spaced track wheels 5, each of which is ournaled in the upper end of a depending two-part jointed hanger strap 6. To the lower ends of the lower members of the jointed hanger straps G, the grain door section 7 is rigidly secured.

The grain door section 7 may be constructof any suitable material, but as shown, is preferably constructed of metal, the lower portion thereof being smooth and the upper portion thereof being corrugated. The door section 7 is reinforced on its inner face with vertically and horizontally disposed metal strips 7. This door section 7 is of such width that, when in an operative position, it will overlap the inner face of the door posts 2, and, in this position, the hanger straps 6 will abut against and closely engage with the opposing face of the door posts 2, and thereby form a grain-tight joint between the said door posts and the door section 7. Vhen the door section 7 is in its operative position, the track wheels 5 will rest in the depressions 1, which are located above the door posts 2; the hanger straps 6 are of such length as to permit the lower edge of the door, when in this position, to rest on the floor of the car and thereby form a grain-tight joint between the lower edge of the door section 7 and the floor of the car. As the door is moved from an operative to an inoperative position, the track wheels 5 will be cammed out of the depressions 1, located above the door posts 2, and as the wheels 5 move along the track 3, the lower edge of the door section 7 will be held out of engagement with the floor of the car and thereby permit the free sliding movement of the door.

hen the door is in an inoperative position, the track wheels 5 will rest in the two left-hand depressions 1, with respect to Fig. 3, and the bottom of the door section 7 will rest on the floor of the car and thereby frictionally hold the door against endwise movement; and when the door is in this inoperative position, the door is held against lateral swinging movements by means of a stop lug 8, having a projecting lip which engages the ad acent edge of the door.

To the upper horizontal edge of the door section 7 is hinged a supplemental door section 9, having a rectangular reinforcing marginal strip 9 secured to its inner face. As shown this supplemental door section 9 is preferably constructed of corrugated sheet metal. When in an operative position the supplemental door section 9 will be turned up against the lower members of the jointed hanger straps 6, and, when not in use, will be turned down against the door section 7.

For the purpose of securing the door sections 7 and 9 to the door posts 2, a series of vertically and laterally spaced eye bolts 10 are secured to, and project inward from, the inner face of each door post 2. These eye I bolts 10 are adapted to project through coineident seats 11 formed in the j ointed hanger straps 6 and grain door sections 7 and 9; and cooperating short wedge keys 12 are adapted to be inserted through the eyes of the bolts 10, for locking the jointed hanger straps 6 and the door sections 7 and 9 to the bolts 10. The wedge keys 12 are secured to the door sections 7 and 9 by means of short chains 13, to prevent the same from becoming lost.

At its lower intermediate portion, the door section 7 is provided with a relief opening Hand a cooperating vertically movable sliding gate 15. This gate 15 is mounted in a pair of laterally spaced guides 16 secured to the inner face of the door section '7, and is provided wit-h an upwardly projecting bar 17, having formed on one edge thereof ratchet like teeth 18. The free end of the bar 17 works through a keeper 19, secured to the inside of the door section 7. Suitable means are provided for raising the gate 15 in the form of a lever 20, pivotally mounted near one end thereof in a bearing 21, secured on the outside of the door section 7, adjacent to the bar 17. To the short end of the lever 20 ispivotally secured a dog 22 for cooperation with the ratchet teeth 18 on the bar 17.

The improved door is only supported in an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2, while the car is being unloaded, and, when in this position, is supported from the roof of the car by means of eye bolts 23, secured to the rafters in the roof of the car body and the lower wedge key 12 and connecting chains 13.

A grain door, constructed as above described, will be cheap to make, is etiicient for the purpose had in View, may be easily opened and closed and has no parts that are likely to get out of order.

WVhat I claim is:

l. The combination with a car body having a door opening, of a main door section arranged to close the lower portion of said l l I 1 l I door opening, jointed hanger straps, comprising relatively short upper members and relatively long lower members, said upper members being secured at their upper ends above said door opening, and said lower members being rigidly secured to the main door section and projecting above the same, a supplemental door section hinged above the main door section and adapted to be turned up against the upwardly projecting ends of the lower members of said hanger straps, and means for securing the supplemental door section in its operative position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car body l1aving a door opening, of a main door section arranged to close the lower portion of said door opening, jointed hanger straps, comprising relatively short upper members and relatively long lower members, said upper members being secured at their upper ends above said door opening, and said lower members being rigidly secured to the main door section and projecting above the same, a supplemental door section hinged above the main door section and adapted to be turned up against the upwardly projecting ends of the lower members of said hanger straps, means for securing the supplemental door section in its operative position, vertically spaced staples secured to the door posts of said door opening and adapted to project through alined seats formed in the lower members of the hanger straps, and in the main door section, and pins insertible through said staples for locking the lower members of the hanger straps and the main door section against the door post's, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLAF J. OLSON.

itnesses G. H. LEWIS, A. MCDONALD. 

